MMORPGs File Sizes

As more and more free to play MMORPGs launch, it seems like they’re all getting bigger and bigger in size. No, i’m not talking about content, I’m talking about file size. Runes of Magic from Frogster is 7GB, The Lord of the Rings Online from Turbine is a whopping 8GB big, and Age of Conan from Funcom is some 14+gb big. It seems like as games get more and more advanced, their file sizes also continue to grow. Even WonderKing from Ndoors is 1.2GB – and that’s a 2D side scrolling MMORPG! How can a 2D side scrolling game be that big is beyond me.

I find it ridiculous that so many free to play MMOs are over 1 GB in size – especially really basic looking ones like Fiesta Online from Outspark is 1.2GB and Dungeon Fighter Online from Nexon is 2GB in size. Dungeon Fighter Online – for those that don’t know is a RETRO 2D side-scrolling brawler MMORPG. It plays like the old Gauntlet Legends game in the arcades. It’s actually more like Golden-Axe than anything else. So why is it that the game is a whopping 2GB in size? I have no idea. As is, the game is much bigger in size than NUMEROUS 3D MMORPGs like Metin 2, Hero Online and Karos Online. Heck, the graphics in Karos Online are GORGEOUS and the game is only 950 MB in size. So why is that NHN was able to create a gorgeous game like Karos Online at under 1GB and Nexon couldn’t make Dungeon Fighter Online smaller? It’s beyond me.

Some reasonably sized free to play MMMORPGs include games like Grand Chase and Conquer Online. Both of these games are less than 600 MB in size. Grand Chase is by Ntrev and is a fun side scrolling MMORPG with fun cooperative elements. Conquer Online is from TQ Digital and offers a ton of content. Another example of a game that has a huge file size is Company of Heroes Online from THQ. The game Is quite fun, but the file size is so big.

The problem with huge file sizes is that downloading these games can take ages – especially for those on slower internet connections. It took me like 5 hours to Download The Lord of the Rings Online and another hour or so to patch it. Huge file sizes are perfectly fine if the game actually downloads fast, but download speeds are usually limited by the server you’re downloading it from. If thousands of people are tryign to download the same game, it could take forever for it to finish. A few other games with reasonable file sizes include Battle of the Immortals from Perfect World Entertainment and Lunia from ijji.